Quinn responds to ABC7 report on state money

July 6, 2010 8:52:21 PM PDT

July 6, 2010 (CHICAGO) --

Governor Quinn has responded to the ABC7 I-Team investigation, "I Thought We Were Broke."From refurbishing totem poles at a Chicago Boys and Girls Club to renovating basketball and tennis courts in Evanston, this year the state funded $67 million in old projects as part of the new capital plan.

As the I-Team reported exclusively two weeks ago, new anti-rat trash cans and a graffiti blaster in Cicero were just some of the projects promised to local towns and villages by the Blagojevich administration. Now, Governor Quinn says he didn't have any choice and had to fund the old projects because the General Assembly had previously approved them.

"Well, those weren't some of my favorites. They were part of what the capital bill had, but you gotta keep your eye on the target. Some of the biggest construction projects in Illinois are taking place right now," Quinn said.

Quinn points to construction on the Eisenhower and Lower Wacker Drive as successes of the capital plan. He says because of the plan, this year, Illinois has added 70,000 new jobs.

ABC7 investigative reporter Chuck Goudie is now working on the I-Team's latest installment of "I Thought We Were Broke." Just because Illinois is billions in the red doesn't mean there's a shortage of state money for some.

The story is set to air during the I-Team report Wednesday night at 10 p.m. on ABC7 Chicago.